Process for making a garment with refastenable sides

ABSTRACT

A method of producing refastenable side seams in an absorbent garment results in an absorbent garment that is adapted to easy application and removal. The refastenable side seams can be produced in either a cross direction, wherein the width of the product is the machine direction, or a machine direction wherein the length of the product is the machine direction. Each of the refastenable side seams includes a lap side seam, which puts the seams under shear strain, as opposed to peel forces. The resulting garment can be opened and closed on either a left side or a right side of the garment.

This is a divisional of U.S. Ser. No. 09/571,218 filed in the U.S.Patent Office May 16, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,447,628.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed to a process for making pant-like, personalcare absorbent products having hook and loop fasteners on the sidepanels for ease of removal and donning without complete removal of awearer's clothing.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Pant-like absorbent garments, such as adult incontinence wear as well asinfant and children's diapers, swim wear and training pants, typicallyhave adhesive fasteners on the sides for donning and removal, or elserely on the waist opening and leg openings to slide on and off thewearer. Adhesive fasteners wear out in as little as one use. Therefore,if a care giver checks the status of the wearer's absorbent garmentcontents by unfastening an adhesive fastener, the garment often must bereplaced due to a worn out adhesive fastener even if the absorbentgarment itself is not in need of changing.

Absorbent garments that slide on and off a wearer are often messy whenfull. Furthermore, in order to remove such absorbent garments, thewearer's clothing covering the absorbent garments, such as pants, mustbe completely removed. Checking the status of the wearer's absorbentgarment contents is often just as cumbersome as changing the absorbentgarment.

There is a need or desire for a process for making pant-like, personalcare absorbent garments that have refastenable side seams for ease ofremoval and donning without complete removal of a wearer's clothing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a process for making pant-likeabsorbent garments having hook and loop fasteners applied at the sidesof the garments. The process can be carried out in either a crossdirection or a machine direction. In the process of the invention, apair of fastening components is attached to either two front side panelsor to two back side panels of a garment assembly on either an insidesurface or outside surface of the assembly. A pair of mating fasteningcomponents is attached to either the two back side panels or the twofront side panels of the garment assembly not occupied by the fasteningcomponents and on the opposite surface of the fastening components,either on the inside or outside surface of the assembly. The two backside panels are preferably either longer or shorter than the two frontside panels. A folding process aligns the fastening components with themating fastening components.

The resulting absorbent garments have a pair of refastenable lap sideseams and can be easily fitted to and removed from a wearer withoutcomplete removal of a wearer's clothing. The refastenable side seamsextend from a waist opening to each of two leg openings between a frontpanel and a back panel. Each of the refastenable side seams includes afastening component and a mating fastening component, each of whichcomprises either a hook material or a loop material. The refastenablelap side seams experience a shearing strain during use, as opposed topeel forces, thereby reducing the likelihood of the seams openingunexpectedly.

With the foregoing in mind, it is a feature and advantage of theinvention to provide a process for making a pant-like absorbent garmentthat can be easily applied to and easily removed from a wearer withoutthe need to entirely remove the wearer's clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side perspective view of an absorbent garment havingrefastenable lap side seams;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of an absorbent garment in a partiallydisassembled, stretched flat state, and showing the surface of thearticle that faces away from the wearer when the article is worn;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the absorbent garment of FIG. 2 in a partiallydisassembled, stretched flat state, and showing the surface of thearticle that faces the wearer when the article is worn, and withportions cut away to show the underlying features;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a cross direction product assembly forproducing an absorbent garment having refastenable lap side seams, withthe machine direction being the width of the finished product;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a machine direction product assembly forproducing an absorbent garment having refastenable lap side seams, withthe machine direction being the length of the finished product;

FIG. 6 is a cross section view of a fastening system during crossdirection assembly in an absorbent garment having refastenable lap sideseams; and

FIG. 7 is a cross section view of a partially fastened absorbent garmenthaving lap side seams.

DEFINITIONS

Within the context of this specification, each term or phrase below willinclude the following meaning or meanings.

“Bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be bondedtogether when they are bonded directly to one another or indirectly toone another, such as when each is directly bonded to intermediateelements.

“Connected” refers to the joining, adhering, bonding, attaching, or thelike, of two elements. Two elements will be considered to be connectedtogether when they are connected directly to one another or indirectlyto one another, such as when each is directly connected to intermediateelements.

“Cross direction” refers to the width of a fabric in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the direction in which it is produced, asopposed to “machine direction” which refers to the length of a fabric inthe direction in which it is produced.

“Cross direction assembly” refers to a process in which disposableabsorbent products are manufactured in an orientation in which theproducts are connected side-to-side, in the transverse direction shownby arrow 49 in FIG. 3, a process utilizing a cross direction assemblyentails products traveling through a converting machine parallel to thedirection of arrow 49, as opposed to “machine direction assembly” inwhich the products are connected end-to-end or waist-to-waist.

“Disposable” refers to articles which are designed to be discarded aftera limited use rather than being laundered or otherwise restored forreuse.

“Disposed,” “disposed on,” and variations thereof are intended to meanthat one element can be integral with another element, or that oneelement can be a separate structure bonded to or placed with or placednear another element.

“Elastic,” “elasticized” and “elasticity” mean that property of amaterial or composite by virtue of which it tends to recover itsoriginal size and shape after removal of a force causing a deformation.

“Elastomeric” refers to a material or composite which can be elongatedby at least 25 percent of its relaxed length and which will recover,upon release of the applied force, at least 10 percent of itselongation. It is generally preferred that the elastomeric material orcomposite be capable of being elongated by at least 100 percent, morepreferably by at least 300 percent, of its relaxed length and recover,upon release of an applied force, at least 50 percent of its elongation.

“Fabrics” is used to refer to all of the woven, knitted and nonwovenfibrous webs.

“Film” refers to a thermoplastic film made using a film extrusion and/orfoaming process, such as a cast film or blown film extrusion process.The term includes apertured films, slit films, and other porous filmswhich constitute liquid transfer films, as well as films which do nottransfer liquid.

“Flexible” refers to materials which are compliant and which willreadily conform to the general shape and contours of the wearer's body.

“Hydrophilic” describes fibers or the surfaces of fibers which arewetted by the aqueous liquids in contact with the fibers. The degree ofwetting of the materials can, in turn, be described in terms of thecontact angles and the surface tensions of the liquids and materialsinvolved. Equipment and techniques suitable for measuring thewettability of particular fiber materials or blends of fiber materialscan be provided by a Cahn SFA-222 Surface Force Analyzer System, or asubstantially equivalent system. When measured with this system, fibershaving contact angles less than 90° are designated “wettable” orhydrophilic, while fibers having contact angles greater than 90° aredesignated “nonwettable” or hydrophobic.

“Integral” or “integrally” is used to refer to various portions of asingle unitary element rather than separate structures bonded to orplaced with or placed near one another.

“Layer” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Liquid impermeable,” when used in describing a layer or multi-layerlaminate, means that a liquid, such as urine, will not pass through thelayer or laminate, under ordinary use conditions, in a directiongenerally perpendicular to the plane of the layer or laminate at thepoint of liquid contact. Liquid, or urine, may spread or be transportedparallel to the plane of the liquid impermeable layer or laminate, butthis is not considered to be within the meaning of “liquid impermeable”when used herein.

“Liquid permeable material” or “liquid water-permeable material” refersto a material present in one or more layers, such as a film, nonwovenfabric, or open-celled foam, which is porous, and which is waterpermeable due to the flow of water and other aqueous liquids through thepores. The pores in the film or foam, or spaces between fibers orfilaments in a nonwoven web, are large enough and frequent enough topermit leakage and flow of liquid water through the material.

“Longitudinal” and “transverse” have their customary meaning, asindicated by the longitudinal and transverse axes depicted in FIG. 3.The longitudinal axis lies in the plane of the article and is generallyparallel to a vertical plane that bisects a standing wearer into leftand right body halves when the article is worn. The transverse axis liesin the plane of the article generally perpendicular to the longitudinalaxis. The article as illustrated is longer in the longitudinal directionthan in the transverse direction.

“Machine direction” refers to the length of a fabric in the direction inwhich it is produced, as opposed to “cross direction” which refers tothe width of a fabric in a direction generally perpendicular to themachine direction.

“Machine direction assembly” refers to a process in which disposableabsorbent products are manufactured in an orientation in which theproducts are connected end-to-end or waist-to-waist, in the longitudinaldirection shown by arrow 48 in FIG. 3, a process utilizing a machinedirection assembly entails products traveling through a convertingmachine parallel to the direction of arrow 48, as opposed to “crossdirection assembly” in which the products are connected side-to-side.

“Meltblown fiber” means fibers formed by extruding a moltenthermoplastic material through a plurality of fine, usually circular,die capillaries as molten threads or filaments into converging highvelocity heated gas (e.g., air) streams which attenuate the filaments ofmolten thermoplastic material to reduce their diameter, which may be tomicrofiber diameter. Thereafter, the meltblown fibers are carried by thehigh velocity gas stream and are deposited on a collecting surface toform a web of randomly dispersed meltblown fibers. Such a process isdisclosed for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,241 to Butin et al.Meltblown fibers are microfibers which may be continuous ordiscontinuous, are generally smaller than about 0.6 denier, and aregenerally self bonding when deposited onto a collecting surface.Meltblown fibers used in the present invention are preferablysubstantially continuous in length.

“Member” when used in the singular can have the dual meaning of a singleelement or a plurality of elements.

“Nonwoven” and “nonwoven web” refer to materials and webs of materialwhich are formed without the aid of a textile weaving or knittingprocess.

“Operatively joined,” in reference to the attachment of an elasticmember to another element, means that the elastic member when attachedto or connected to the element, or treated with heat or chemicals, bystretching, or the like, gives the element elastic properties; and withreference to the attachment of a non-elastic member to another element,means that the member and element can be attached in any suitable mannerthat permits or allows them to perform the intended or describedfunction of the joinder. The joining, attaching, connecting or the likecan be either directly, such as joining either member directly to anelement, or can be indirectly by means of another member disposedbetween the first member and the first element.

“Peel force” and “peel strain” refer to forces that tend to pull twoadjoining bodies away from one another in opposite directions generallyperpendicular to a plane in which the bodies are joined.

“Permanently bonded” refers to the joining, adhering, connecting,attaching, or the like, of two elements of an absorbent garment suchthat the elements tend to be and remain bonded during normal useconditions of the absorbent garment.

“Polymers” include, but are not limited to, homopolymers, copolymers,such as for example, block, graft, random and alternating copolymers,terpolymers, etc. and blends and modifications thereof. Furthermore,unless otherwise specifically limited, the term “polymer” shall includeall possible geometrical configurations of the material. Theseconfigurations include, but are not limited to isotactic, syndiotacticand atactic symmetries.

“Refastenable” refers to the property of two elements being capable ofreleasable attachment, separation, and subsequent releasablereattachment without substantial permanent deformation or rupture.

“Releasably attached,” “releasably engaged” and variations thereof referto two elements being connected or connectable such that the elementstend to remain connected absent a separation force applied to one orboth of the elements, and the elements being capable of separationwithout substantial permanent deformation or rupture. The requiredseparation force is typically beyond that encountered while wearing theabsorbent garment.

“Shearing strain” refers to forces that tend to produce an opposite butparallel sliding motion between two bodies' planes.

“Spunbonded fiber” refers to small diameter fibers which are formed byextruding molten thermoplastic material as filaments from a plurality offine capillaries of a spinnerette having a circular or otherconfiguration, with the diameter of the extruded filaments then beingrapidly reduced as by, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,563 to Appelet al., and U.S. Pat. No. 3,692,618 to Dorschner et al., U.S. Pat. No.3,802,817 to Matsuki et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,338,992 and 3,341,394 toKinney, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,763 to Hartmann, U.S. Pat. No. 3,502,538 toPetersen, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,542,615 to Dobo et al., each of which isincorporated herein in its entirety by reference. Spunbond fibers arequenched and generally not tacky when they are deposited onto acollecting surface. Spunbond fibers are generally continuous and oftenhave average deniers larger than about 0.3, more particularly, betweenabout 0.6 and 10.

“Stretchable” means that a material can be stretched, without breaking,to at least 150% of its initial (unstretched) length in at least onedirection, suitably to at least 200% of its initial length, desirably toat least 250% of its initial length.

“Superabsorbent” or “superabsorbent material” refers to awater-swellable, water-insoluble organic or inorganic material capable,under the most favorable conditions, of absorbing at least about 15times its weight and, more desirably, at least about 30 times its weightin an aqueous solution containing 0.9 weight percent sodium chloride.The superabsorbent materials can be natural, synthetic and modifiednatural polymers and materials. In addition, the superabsorbentmaterials can be inorganic materials, such as silica gels, or organiccompounds such as cross-linked polymers.

“Surface” includes any layer, film, woven, nonwoven, laminate,composite, or the like, whether pervious or impervious to air, gas,and/or liquids.

“Thermoplastic” describes a material that softens when exposed to heatand which substantially returns to a nonsoftened condition when cooledto room temperature.

These terms may be defined with additional language in the remainingportions of the specification.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention is directed to a process for making a pant-likeabsorbent garment having refastenable fasteners, such as hook and loopfasteners, on the side panels for ease of removal and donning of theabsorbent garment without complete removal of a wearer's clothing.

The principles of the present invention can be incorporated into anysuitable disposable absorbent article. Examples of such suitablearticles include diapers, training pants, feminine hygiene products,incontinence products, other personal care or health care garments, orthe like. For ease of explanation, the description hereafter will be interms of a child's training pant.

Referring to FIG. 1, a disposable absorbent article, such as a trainingpant 20, is illustrated in a partially fastened condition. The trainingpant 20 includes an absorbent chassis 32 and a fastening system 80. Theabsorbent chassis 32 defines a front region 22, a back region 24, acrotch region 26 interconnecting the front and back regions, an innersurface 28 which is configured to contact the wearer, and an outersurface 30 opposite the inner surface which is configured to contact thewearer's clothing. With additional reference to FIGS. 2 and 3, theabsorbent chassis 32 also defines a pair of transversely opposed sideedges 36 and a pair of longitudinally opposed waist edges, which aredesignated front waist edge 38 and back waist edge 39. The front region22 is contiguous with the front waist edge 38, and the back region 24 iscontiguous with the back waist edge 39.

The illustrated absorbent chassis 32 includes a rectangular compositestructure 33, a pair of transversely opposed front side panels 34, and apair of transversely opposed back side panels 134. The compositestructure 33 and side panels 34 and 134 may be integrally formed, asshown in FIG. 1, or may include two or more separate elements, as shownin FIGS. 2 and 3. The illustrated composite structure 33 includes anouter cover 40, a bodyside liner 42 which is connected to the outercover in a superposed relation, an absorbent assembly 44 (FIG. 3) whichis located between the outer cover 40 and the bodyside liner 42, and apair of containment flaps 46 (FIG. 3). The rectangular compositestructure 33 has opposite linear end edges 45 that form portions of thefront and back waist edges 38 and 39, and opposite linear side edges 47that form portions of the side edges 36 of the absorbent chassis 32(FIGS. 2 and 3). For reference, arrows 48 and 49 depicting theorientation of the longitudinal axis and the transverse axis,respectively, of the training pant 20 are illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

With the training pant 20 in the fastened position as partiallyillustrated in FIG. 1, the front and back regions 22 and 24 are joinedtogether to define a three-dimensional pant configuration having a waistopening 50 and a pair of leg openings 52. The front region 22 includesthe portion of the training pant 20 which, when worn, is positioned onthe front of the wearer while the back region 24 includes the portion ofthe training pant which, when worn, is positioned on the back of thewearer. The crotch region 26 of the training pant 20 includes theportion of the training pant which, when worn, is positioned between thelegs of the wearer and covers the lower torso of the wearer. The frontand back side panels 34 and 134 include the portions of the trainingpant 20 which, when worn, are positioned on the hips of the wearer.

The front region 22 of the absorbent chassis 32 includes thetransversely opposed front side panels 34 and a front center panel 35(FIGS. 2 and 3) positioned between and interconnecting the side panels,along with a front waist elastic member 54 and any other connectedcomponents. The back region 24 of the absorbent chassis 32 includes thetransversely opposed back side panels 134 and a back center panel 135(FIGS. 2 and 3) positioned between and interconnecting the side panels,as well as a rear waist elastic member 56 and any other connectedcomponents. The waist edges 38 and 39 of the absorbent chassis 32 areconfigured to encircle the waist of the wearer when worn and provide thewaist opening 50 which defines a waist perimeter dimension. Portions ofthe transversely opposed side edges 36 in the crotch region 26 generallydefine the leg openings 52.

The absorbent chassis 32 is configured to contain and/or absorb any bodyexudates discharged from the wearer. For example, the absorbent chassis32 desirably although not necessarily includes the pair of containmentflaps 46 which are configured to provide a barrier to the transverseflow of body exudates. A flap elastic member 53 (FIG. 3) is operativelyjoined with each containment flap 46 in any suitable manner as is wellknown in the art. The elasticized containment flaps 46 define anunattached edge which assumes an upright, generally perpendicularconfiguration in at least the crotch region 26 of the training pant 20to form a seal against the wearer's body. The containment flaps 46 canbe located along the transversely opposed side edges of the absorbentchassis 32, and can extend longitudinally along the entire length of theabsorbent chassis or may only extend partially along the length of theabsorbent chassis. Suitable constructions and arrangements for thecontainment flaps 46 are generally well known to those skilled in theart and are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,704,116 issued Nov. 3, 1987 toEnloe, which is incorporated herein by reference.

To further enhance containment and/or absorption of body exudates, thetraining pant 20 desirably includes the front waist elastic member 54,the rear waist elastic member 56, and leg elastic members 58, as areknown to those skilled in the art (FIG. 3). The waist elastic members 54and 56 can be operatively joined to the outer cover 40 and/or bodysideliner 42 along the opposite waist edges 38 and 39, and can extend overpart or all of the waist edges. The leg elastic members 58 are desirablyoperatively joined to the outer cover 40 and/or bodyside liner 42 alongthe opposite side edges 36 and positioned in the crotch region 26 of thetraining pant 20. The leg elastic members 58 are desirablylongitudinally aligned along each side edge 47 of the compositestructure 33. Each leg elastic member 58 has a front terminal point 63and a back terminal point 65, which points represent the longitudinalends of the elastic gathering caused by the leg elastic members. Thefront terminal points 63 are desirably located adjacent thelongitudinally innermost parts of the front side panels 34, and the backterminal points 65 are desirably located adjacent the longitudinallyinnermost parts of the back side panels 134.

The flap elastic members 53, the waist elastic members 54 and 56, andthe leg elastic members 58 can be formed of any suitable elasticmaterial. As is well known to those skilled in the art, suitable elasticmaterials include sheets, strands or ribbons of natural rubber,synthetic rubber, or thermoplastic elastomeric polymers. The elasticmaterials can be stretched and adhered to a substrate, adhered to agathered substrate, or adhered to a substrate and then elasticized orshrunk, for example with the application of heat; such that elasticconstrictive forces are imparted to the substrate. In one particularembodiment, for example, the leg elastic members 58 include a pluralityof dry-spun coalesced multifilament spandex elastomeric threads soldunder the trade name LYCRA® and available from E.I. DuPont de Nemoursand Company, Wilmington, Del., U.S.A.

The outer cover 40 desirably includes a material that is substantiallyliquid impermeable, and can be elastic, stretchable or nonstretchable.The outer cover 40 can be a single layer of liquid impermeable material,but desirably includes a multi-layered laminate structure in which atleast one of the layers is liquid impermeable. For instance, the outercover 40 can include a liquid permeable outer layer and a liquidimpermeable inner layer that are suitably joined together by a laminateadhesive (not shown). Suitable laminate adhesives, which can be appliedcontinuously or intermittently as beads, a spray, parallel swirls, orthe like, can be obtained from Findley Adhesives, Inc., of Wauwatosa,Wis., U.S.A., or from National Starch and Chemical Company, Bridgewater,N.J., U.S.A. The liquid permeable outer layer can be any suitablematerial and desirably one that provides a generally cloth-like texture.One example of such a material is a 20 gsm (grams per square meter)spunbond polypropylene nonwoven web. The outer layer may also be made ofthose materials of which liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is made.While it is not a necessity for the outer layer to be liquid permeable,it is desired that it provides a relatively cloth-like texture to thewearer.

The inner layer of the outer cover 40 can be both liquid and vaporimpermeable, or can be liquid impermeable and vapor permeable. The innerlayer is desirably manufactured from a thin plastic film, although otherflexible liquid impermeable materials may also be used. The inner layer,or the liquid impermeable outer cover 40 when a single layer, preventswaste material from wetting articles, such as bedsheets and clothing, aswell as the wearer and care giver. A suitable liquid impermeable filmfor use as a liquid impermeable inner layer, or a single layer liquidimpermeable outer cover 40, is a 0.2 millimeter polyethylene filmcommercially available from Huntsman Packaging of Newport News, Va.,U.S.A. If the outer cover 40 is a single layer of material, it can beembossed and/or matte finished to provide a more cloth-like appearance.As earlier mentioned, the liquid impermeable material can permit vaporsto escape from the interior of the disposable absorbent article, whilestill preventing liquids from passing through the outer cover 40. Asuitable “breathable” material is composed of a microporous polymer filmor a nonwoven fabric that has been coated or otherwise treated to imparta desired level of liquid impermeability. A suitable microporous film isa PMP-1 film material commercially available from Mitsui ToatsuChemicals, Inc., Tokyo, Japan, or an XKO-8044 polyolefin filmcommercially available from 3M Company, Minneapolis, Minn.

The liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is illustrated as overlying theouter cover 40 and absorbent assembly 44, and may but need not have thesame dimensions as the outer cover 40. The bodyside liner 42 isdesirably compliant, soft feeling, and non-irritating to the child'sskin. Further, the bodyside liner 42 can be less hydrophilic than theabsorbent assembly 44, to present a relatively dry surface to the wearerand permit liquid to readily penetrate through its thickness.

The bodyside liner 42 can be manufactured from a wide selection of webmaterials, such as synthetic fibers (for example, polyester orpolypropylene fibers), natural fibers (for example, wood or cottonfibers), a combination of natural and synthetic fibers, porous foams,reticulated foams, apertured plastic films, or the like. Various wovenand nonwoven fabrics can be used for the bodyside liner 42. For example,the bodyside liner can be composed of a meltblown or spunbonded web ofpolyolefin fibers. The bodyside liner can also be a bonded-carded webcomposed of natural and/or synthetic fibers. The bodyside liner can becomposed of a substantially hydrophobic material, and the hydrophobicmaterial can, optionally, be treated with a surfactant or otherwiseprocessed to impart a desired level of wettability and hydrophilicity.For example, the material can be surface treated with about 0.45 weightpercent of a surfactant mixture including AHCOVEL® N-62 from HodgsonTextile Chemicals of Mount Holly, N.C., U.S.A. and GLUCOPON® 220UP fromHenkel Corporation of Ambler, Pa., in an active ratio of 3:1. Thesurfactant can be applied by any conventional means, such as spraying,printing, brush coating or the like. The surfactant can be applied tothe entire bodyside liner 42 or can be selectively applied to particularsections of the bodyside liner, such as the medial section along thelongitudinal centerline.

A suitable liquid permeable bodyside liner 42 is a nonwoven bicomponentweb having a basis weight of about 27 gsm. The nonwoven bicomponent canbe a spunbond bicomponent web, or a bonded carded bicomponent web.Suitable bicomponent staple fibers include a polyethylene/polypropylenebicomponent fiber available from CHISSO Corporation, Osaka, Japan. Inthis particular bicomponent fiber, the polypropylene forms the core andthe polyethylene forms the sheath of the fiber. Other fiber orientationsare possible, such as multi-lobe, side-by-side, end-to-end, or the like.While the outer cover 40 and bodyside liner 42 can include elastomericmaterials, it can be desirable in some embodiments for the compositestructure to be generally inelastic, where the outer cover, the bodysideliner and the absorbent assembly include materials that are generallynot elastomeric.

The absorbent assembly 44 (FIG. 3) is positioned between the outer cover40 and the bodyside liner 42, which components can be joined together byany suitable means, such as adhesives, as is well known in the art. Theabsorbent assembly 44 can be any structure which is generallycompressible, conformable, non-irritating to the child's skin, andcapable of absorbing and retaining liquids and certain body wastes. Theabsorbent assembly 44 can be manufactured in a wide variety of sizes andshapes, and from a wide variety of liquid absorbent materials commonlyused in the art. For example, the absorbent assembly 44 can suitablyinclude a matrix of hydrophilic fibers, such as a web of cellulosicfluff, mixed with particles of a high-absorbency material commonly knownas superabsorbent material. In a particular embodiment, the absorbentassembly 44 includes a matrix of cellulosic fluff, such as wood pulpfluff, and superabsorbent hydrogel-forming particles. The wood pulpfluff can be exchanged with synthetic, polymeric, meltblown fibers orwith a combination of meltblown fibers and natural fibers. Thesuperabsorbent particles can be substantially homogeneously mixed withthe hydrophilic fibers or can be nonuniformly mixed. The fluff andsuperabsorbent particles can also be selectively placed into desiredzones of the absorbent assembly 44 to better contain and absorb bodyexudates. The concentration of the superabsorbent particles can alsovary through the thickness of the absorbent assembly 44. Alternatively,the absorbent assembly 44 can include a laminate of fibrous webs andsuperabsorbent material or other suitable means of maintaining asuperabsorbent material in a localized area.

Suitable superabsorbent materials can be selected from natural,synthetic, and modified natural polymers and materials. Thesuperabsorbent materials can be inorganic materials, such as silicagels, or organic compounds, such as crosslinked polymers. Suitablesuperabsorbent materials are available from various commercial vendors,such as Dow Chemical Company located in Midland, Mich., U.S.A., andStockhausen GmbH & Co. KG, D-47805 Krefeld, Federal Republic of Germany.Typically, a superabsorbent material is capable of absorbing at leastabout 15 times its weight in water, and desirably is capable ofabsorbing more than about 25 times its weight in water.

In one embodiment, the absorbent assembly 44 is generally rectangular inshape, and includes a blend of wood pulp fluff and superabsorbentmaterial. One preferred type of fluff is identified with the tradedesignation CR1654, available from U.S. Alliance, Childersburg, Ala.,U.S.A., and is a bleached, highly absorbent sulfate wood pulp containingprimarily soft wood fibers. As a general rule, the superabsorbentmaterial is present in the absorbent assembly 44 in an amount of fromabout 5 to about 90 weight percent based on total weight of theabsorbent assembly. The absorbent assembly 44 suitably has a densitywithin the range of about 0.10 to about 0.50 grams per cubic centimeter.The absorbent assembly 44 may or may not be wrapped or encompassed by asuitable tissue wrap that maintains the integrity and/or shape of theabsorbent assembly.

The absorbent chassis 32 can also incorporate other materials that aredesigned primarily to receive, temporarily store, and/or transportliquid along the mutually facing surface with the absorbent assembly 44,thereby maximizing the absorbent capacity of the absorbent assembly. Onesuitable material is referred to as a surge layer (not shown) andincludes a material having a basis weight of about 50 to about 120 gramsper square meter, and including a through-air-bonded-carded web of ahomogenous blend of 60 percent 3 denier type T-256 bicomponent fiberincluding a polyester core/polyethylene sheath and 40 percent 6 deniertype T-295 polyester fiber, both commercially available from KosaCorporation of Salisbury, N.C., U.S.A.

As noted previously, the illustrated training pant 20 has front and backside panels 34 and 134 disposed on each side of the absorbent chassis32. These transversely opposed front side panels 34 and transverselyopposed back side panels 134 can be permanently bonded to the compositestructure 33 of the absorbent chassis 32 in the respective front andback regions 22 and 24, and are releasably attached to one another by afastening system 80. More particularly, as shown best in FIGS. 2 and 3,the front side panels 34 can be permanently bonded to and extendtransversely beyond the linear side edges 47 of the composite structure33 in the front region 22 along attachment lines 66, and the back sidepanels 134 can be permanently bonded to and extend transversely beyondthe linear side edges of the composite structure in the back region 24along attachment lines 66. The side panels 34 and 134 may be attachedusing attachment means known to those skilled in the art such asadhesive, thermal or ultrasonic bonding. The side panels 34 and 134 canalso be formed as a portion of a component of the composite structure33, such as the outer cover 40 or the bodyside liner 42, as shown inFIG. 1.

In particular embodiments for improved fit and appearance, the sidepanels 34 and 134 desirably have an average length dimension measuredparallel to the longitudinal axis 48 that is about 20 percent orgreater, and particularly about 25 percent or greater, of the overalllength dimension of the absorbent article, also measured parallel to thelongitudinal axis 48. For example, in training pants having an overalllength dimension of about 54 centimeters, the side panels 34 and 134desirably have an average length dimension of about 10 centimeters orgreater, such as about 15 centimeters. While each of the side panels 34and 134 extend from the waist opening 50 to one of the leg openings 52,the back side panels 134 have a continually decreasing length dimensionmoving from the attachment line 66 to a distal edge 68 b of the backpanel 134, as is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Each of the side panels 34 and 134 can include one or more individual,distinct pieces of material. In particular embodiments, for example,each side panel 34 and 134 can include first and second side panelportions that are joined at a seam, with at least one of the portionsincluding an elastomeric material. Still alternatively, each individualside panel 34 and 134 can include a single piece of material which isfolded over upon itself along an intermediate fold line (not shown).

The side panels 34 and 134 desirably include an elastic material capableof stretching in a direction generally parallel to the transverse axis49 of the training pant 20. In particular embodiments, the front andback side panels 34 and 134 may each include an interior portion 78disposed between the distal edge 68 a, 68 b and the respective front orback center panel 35 or 135. In the illustrated embodiment in FIG. 3,the interior portions 78 are disposed between the distal edges 68 a, 68b and the side edges 47 of the rectangular composite structure 33. Theelastic material of the side panels 34 and 134 can be disposed in theinterior portions 78 to render the side panels elastomeric in adirection generally parallel to the transverse axis 49. Most desirably,each side panel 34 and 134 is elastomeric from a waist end edge 72 to aleg end edge 70. More specifically, individual samples of side panelmaterial, taken between the waist end edge 72 and the leg end edge 70parallel to the transverse axis 49 and having a length from theattachment line 66 to the distal edge 68 a, 68 b and a width of about 2centimeters, are all elastomeric.

Suitable elastic materials, as well as one described process ofincorporating elastic side panels into a training pant, are described inthe following U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,464 issued Jul. 10, 1990 to Van Gompelet al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,405 issued Jul. 6, 1993 to Pohjola; U.S.Pat. No. 5,104,116 issued Apr. 14, 1992 to Pohjola; and U.S. Pat. No.5,046,272 issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Vogt et al.; all of which areincorporated herein by reference. In particular embodiments, the elasticmaterial includes a stretch-thermal laminate (STL), a neck-bondedlaminated (NBL), a reversibly necked laminate, or a stretch-bondedlaminate (SBL) material. Methods of making such materials are well knownto those skilled in the art and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,663,220issued May 5, 1987 to Wisneski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,226,992 issuedJul. 13, 1993 to Morman; and European Patent Application No. EP 0 217032 published on Apr. 8, 1987 in the names of Taylor et al.; all ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference. Alternatively, the sidepanel material may include other woven or nonwoven materials, such asthose described above as being suitable for the outer cover 40 orbodyside liner 42, or stretchable but inelastic materials.

The training pant 20 according to the present invention also includes afastening system 80 for securing the training pant about the waist ofthe wearer (FIG. 1). The illustrated fastening system 80 includesfastening components 82 that are adapted to refastenably connect tomating fastening components 84. In one embodiment, one surface of eachof the fastening components 82 and 84 includes a plurality of engagingelements that project from that surface. The engaging elements of thesefastening components 82 are adapted to repeatedly engage and disengagethe engaging elements of the mating fastening components 84.

In one particular embodiment, the fastening components 82 each includehook type fasteners and the mating fastening components 84 each includecomplementary loop type fasteners. In another particular embodiment, thefastening components 82 each include loop type fasteners and the matingfastening components 84 each include complementary hook type fasteners.The fastening components 82 and the mating fastening components 84 aredesirably rectangular, although they may alternatively be square, round,oval, curved or otherwise non-rectangularly shaped.

Loop type fasteners typically include a fabric or material having a baseor backing structure and a plurality of loop members extending upwardlyfrom at least one surface of the backing structure. The loop materialcan be formed of any suitable material, such as acrylic, nylon orpolyester, and can be formed by methods such as warp knitting, stitchbonding or needle punching. Suitable loop materials are available fromGuilford Mills, Inc., Greensboro, N.C., U.S.A. under the tradedesignation No. 36549.

Hook type fasteners typically include a fabric or material having a baseor backing structure and a plurality of hook members extending upwardlyfrom at least one surface of the backing structure. In contrast to theloop type fasteners which desirably include a flexible fabric, the hookmaterial advantageously includes a resilient material to minimizeunintentional disengagement of the fastener components as a result ofthe hook material becoming deformed and catching on clothing or otheritems. The term “resilient” as used herein refers to an interlockingmaterial having a predetermined shape and the property of theinterlocking material to resume the predetermined shape after beingengaged and disengaged from a mating, complementary interlockingmaterial. Suitable hook material can be molded or extruded of nylon,polypropylene or another suitable material. Suitable single-sided hookmaterials for the fastening components 82 or the mating fasteningcomponents 84 are available from Velcro Industries B.V., Amsterdam,Netherlands or affiliates thereof, and are identified as Velcro HTH-829with a unidirectional hook pattern and having a thickness of about 0.089millimeters (3.5 mils) and HTH-851 with a unidirectional hook patternand having a thickness of about 0.051 millimeters (2 mils).

With particular reference to FIG. 4, a plurality of garment assemblies96 aligned in a cross direction, wherein the widths of the assemblies 96are the machine direction, is shown. The invention can be carried out ineither the cross direction, wherein the widths of the assemblies 96 arethe machine direction, (FIG. 4) or the machine direction, wherein thelengths of the assemblies 96 are the machine direction (FIG. 5). Thegarment assembly 96 includes a lamination of films and nonwovens,including a bodyside liner 42 and an outer cover 40, together with waistelastics 54 and 56, leg elastics 58, and an absorbent assembly 44, asdescribed above, placed on a vacuum device (not shown). The layers ofeach garment assembly 96 are joined between the back side panel 134 andthe front side panel 34. The exposed surface of the garment assembly 96is the inner surface 28 of the chassis 32, as shown in FIG. 4.

In carrying out the invention in the cross direction, two fasteningcomponents 82 are bonded to the front side panels 34 on the innersurface 28 of each garment assembly 96 near the planned locations of thedistal edges 68 a, with a spacing 81 of roughly 0.25–1.0 inch betweenfastening components 82 on adjacent garment assemblies 96.Alternatively, a single, oversized fastening component 83 encompassingthe areas of two adjacent fastening components 82 and the spacing 81 inbetween, shown in a section view in FIG. 6, can be placed overlappingthe planned locations of the distal edges 68 a of two adjacentassemblies, to be separated into two fastening components 82 at theproduct cut-off stage. The fastening components 82 may include hook typefasteners or loop type fasteners, as described above, and can be bondedto the assembly 96 with ultrasonic, thermal, or adhesive bonds, or othermeans.

Two mating fastening components 84 are bonded to the back side panels134 on the outer surface 30 of each garment assembly 96 near the plannedlocations of the distal edges 68 b with a spacing 81 of roughly 0.25–1.0inch between mating fastening components 84 on adjacent garmentassemblies 96. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, a single, oversizedmating fastening component 85 encompassing the areas of two adjacentmating fastening components 84 and the spacing 81 in between, shown in asection view in FIG. 6, can be placed overlapping the planned locationsof the distal edges 68 b of two adjacent assemblies, to be separatedinto two mating fastening components 84 at the product cut-off stage.The mating fastening components 84 may include hook type fasteners orloop type fasteners, as described above, and can be bonded to theassembly 96 with ultrasonic, thermal, or adhesive bonds.

All of the joined garment assemblies 96 are then folded longitudinally(front to back or back to front), thereby aligning the front side panels34 with the back side panels 134, as shown in FIG. 6. Adjacent garmentassemblies 96, and any oversized fastening components 83 and/or matingfastening components 85, are then separated by cutting along cut line98, thereby forming discrete products. In this process, either the frontside panels 34 or the back side panels 134 are under high tensionbecause of elastic properties in the material. Thus, when the foldedassemblies 96 are cut into discrete products, the side panels 34 or 134under high tension retract more from the cutting line 98 than theopposite side panels 134 or 34, such that side panels 34 or 134 underhigh tension are shorter in the transverse direction than the sidepanels 134 or 34 not under high tension. Alternatively, a portion (notshown) of the assembly 96 could be cut out between adjacent resultingdistal edges 68 a or 68 b to create the difference in length in thetransverse direction. The discrete products are then rotated roughly 90degrees and the back side panels 134 are folded over onto thecorresponding front side panels 34 such that the fastening components 82adhere to the mating fastening components 84.

Alternatively, in the cross direction process, the fastening components82 can be bonded to the outer surface 30 of the chassis 32 and themating fastening components 84 can be bonded to the inner surface 28 ofthe chassis. In this case, after the assemblies 96 are rotated, the backside panels 134 are folded over onto the corresponding front side panels134 such that the fastening components 82 adhere to the mating fasteningcomponents 84, as shown in FIG. 7.

As mentioned, the process of the invention can also be carried out inthe machine direction, shown in FIG. 5. In carrying out the invention,the products are assembled in a front-to-front and back-to-backorientation and are placed on a vacuum device (not shown). The frontside panels 34 can be shorter in the transverse direction 49 than theback side panels 134, as shown in FIG. 5, or alternatively, the backside panels 134 can be shorter in the transverse direction 49 than thefront side panels 34.

In this machine direction process (FIG. 5), the side panels 34, 134 ofadjacent assemblies 96 are made from one piece of material, have thesame transverse length, and do not require die cutting. The side paneltransverse length on the assembly 96 for machine direction stretchmaterial is the cut length of the material before it is rotated andplaced onto the chassis 32. Thus, this process can be carried out byalternately cutting a long piece of material for the longer side panels34 or 134 followed by a short piece of material for the shorter sidepanels 34 or 134.

Separate side panel applicators could be used for this process, one forthe front side panels 34 and one for the back side panels 134. Differentmaterials can be used for the front and back side panels 34, 134, forexample, higher stretch materials would yield different side panellengths, e.g. cross direction stretch material vs. machine directionstretch material.

Fastening components 82 are bonded to the inner surface 28 of the frontside panels 34 near the distal edges 68 a and mating fasteningcomponents 84 are bonded to the outer surface 30 of the back side panels134 near the distal edges 68 b of each garment assembly 96.Alternatively, the two fastening components 82 can be bonded to theouter surface 30 of the front side panels 34 and the two matingfastening components 84 can be bonded to the inner surface 28 of theback side panels 134. As a further alternative, instead of bondingseparate fastening components 82 or separate mating fastening components84 to each assembly 96, oversized strips of fastening components and/ormating fastening components (not shown) can be applied to adjacent sidepanels 34 or 134 of adjacent assemblies 96, thereby overlapping theplanned locations of the front waist edge 38 and/or the back waist edge39 of adjacent assemblies 96, to be separated at the product cut-offstage. As mentioned, the fastening components 82 and the matingfastening components 84 may include hook type fasteners or loop typefasteners. The loop type fastening components or mating fasteningcomponents are preferably wider than the hook type fastening componentsor mating fastening components to ensure that the hooks are fullycovered in use.

After the fastening components 82 and the mating fastening components 84have been bonded to the garment assemblies 96 in the machine directionprocess (FIG. 5), adjacent assemblies 96 are separated at the plannedlocations of the front waist edge 38 and the back waist edge 39 ofadjacent assemblies 96. The resulting discrete products are then foldedin half longitudinally (front to back and/or back to front) in themachine direction. A folding apparatus alternately folds every othergarment assembly 96 into a separate product line such that all frontwaist edge 38 leading products are directed to one product stream andall back waist edge 39 leading products are directed to a second productstream. Alternatively, a different sort of folding apparatus could beused to fold one product up and the next product down and so on. Thefolding process aligns the front and back waist edges 38, 39 with oneanother, such that the inner surface 28 is inside the folded garment.The side panels 34 or 134 with the fastening components 82 or matingfastening components 84 bonded to the inside surface 28 are subsequentlyfolded onto the mating fastening components 84 or fastening components82 on the corresponding side panels 34 or 134, as shown in FIG. 7.Alternatively, if the fastening components 82 or mating fasteningcomponents 84 on the longer side panels 34, 134 are bonded to the outersurface 30, then the longer side panels 34, 134 can be folded prior tofolding the whole assembly 96.

The product resulting from the invention is an absorbent product 20,shown in FIG. 1, having refastenable hook and loop fasteners, orientedas lap side seams 100, along the distal edges 68 a and 68 b (FIG. 3) ofthe front and back side panels 34 and 134. The resulting orientation ofthe lap side seams 100 puts the fastened seams under shearing strainduring use, as opposed to peel forces. The term “lap side seam,” as usedherein, refers to a seam connecting the front and back side panels 34and 134 or materials bonded thereto, such as fastening components 82 and84, such that the front and back side panels and/or materials bondedthereto overlap and the seam is located between the distal edges 68 aand 68 b of the front and rear side panels 34 and 134.

The absorbent chassis 32 and the fastening system 80 together define arefastenable product having a waist opening 50 and a pair of legopenings 52. When the fastening system is engaged, the refastenableproduct includes a pair of elastomeric front side panels 34 extendingfrom the waist opening 50 to each leg opening 52, a pair of elastomericback side panels 134 extending from the waist opening 50 to each legopening 52, a pair of lap side seams 100 extending from the waistopening 50 to each leg opening 52 and positioned between the elastomericfront and back side panels 34, 134, an elastomeric front waistband 54disposed on the front side 22 and positioned between the pair ofelastomeric front side panels 34, an elastomeric back waistband 56disposed on the back side 24 and positioned between the pair ofelastomeric back side panels 134, and at least a pair of the leg elasticmembers 58 which partially encircle each leg opening 52. Morepreferably, more than one leg elastic member 58 partially or fullyencircles each leg opening 52. Each leg elastic member 58 extends fromadjacent an elastomeric front side panel 34 on the front side 22 toadjacent an elastomeric back side panel 134 on the back side 24.

As described herein, the various components of the absorbent garment 20can be integrally assembled together employing various types of suitableattachment means, such as adhesive, sonic and thermal bonds orcombinations thereof. The resulting product is an absorbent garmenthaving refastenable side seams that can be opened for donning or removalat either side of the garment.

It will be appreciated that details of the foregoing embodiments, givenfor purposes of illustration, are not to be construed as limiting thescope of this invention. Although only a few exemplary embodiments ofthis invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in theart will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in theexemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly, all suchmodifications are intended to be included within the scope of thisinvention, which is defined in the following claims and all equivalentsthereto. Further, it is recognized that many embodiments may beconceived that do not achieve all of the advantages of some embodiments,particularly of the preferred embodiments, yet the absence of aparticular advantage shall not be construed to necessarily mean thatsuch an embodiment is outside the scope of the present invention.

1. A method of producing refastenable side scams in an absorbentgarment, comprising the following sequence of steps: aligning aplurality of garment assemblies joined in a machine direction, whereinthe garment assemblies are joined together front-to-front andback-to-back such that a front waist edge of a first garment assembly isjoined to a front waist edge of a second garment assembly, and a backwaist edge of the second garment assembly is joined to a back waist edgeof a third garment assembly; forming two front side panels and two backside panels on each garment assembly by bonding a single piece ofmaterial to each side of a chassis front region of two adjoined garmentassemblies and bonding a single piece of material to each side of achassis back region of two adjoined garment assemblies, such that theback side panel material and the front side panel material are eachbonded to and extending from a composite structure, wherein the frontand back side panel materials are elastic from a waist end edge to a legend edge and have greater elasticity than the composite structure, and afirst material is used to form the front side panels and a secondmaterial different from the first material is used to form the back sidepanels; bonding a fastening component to each of the front side panelsof each garment assembly; bonding a mating fastening component to eachof the back side panels of each garment assembly; separating adjacentgarment assemblies from one another and thereby separating adjoiningfront side panels and adjoining back side panels from one another;folding the garment assemblies longitudinally such that an inner surfaceof each garment is inside the folded garment; and folding two of theside panels of each garment assembly while two of the side panels ofeach of the garment assemblies remain unfolded, and aligning each of thefastening components with a corresponding mating fastening componentthereby forming two refastenable seams joining the front and back waistregions, wherein the refastenable seams are each refastenable from awaist opening to a leg opening.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein thefastening components are bonded to the inner surface of the garmentassemblies and the mating fastening components are bonded to an outersurface of the gannent assemblies.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein thefastening components are bonded to an outer surface of the garmentassemblies and the mating fastening components are bonded to the innersurface of the garment assemblies.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein thetwo front side panels are shorter in a transverse direction than the twoback side panels.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the two front sidepanels are longer in a transverse direction than the two back sidepanels.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the two front side panels arefolded.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein the two back side panels arefolded.
 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps ofbonding an oversized fastening component to the joined front side panelsof adjacent garment assemblies, and separating the oversized fasteningcomponent into two fastening components when the adjacent garmentassemblies are separated from one another.
 9. The method of claim 1,further comprising the steps of bonding an oversized mating fasteningcomponent to the joined back side panels of adjacent garment assemblies,and separating the oversized mating fastening component into two matingfastening components when the adjacent garment assemblies are separatedfrom one another.
 10. The method of claim 1 wherein the fasteningcomponent comprises a hook material and the mating fastening componentcomprises a loop material.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the matingfastening component is wider than the fastening component.
 12. Themethod of claim 1 wherein the fastening component comprises a loopmaterial and the mating fastening component comprises a hook material.13. The method of claim 12 wherein the fastening component is wider thanthe mating fastening component.
 14. A method of producing refastenableside seams in an absorbent garment, comprising the steps of: aligning aplurality of garment assemblies joined in a machine direction, whereinthe garment assemblies are joined together front-to-front andback-to-back such that a front waist edge of a first garment assembly isjoined to a front waist edge of a second garment assembly, and a backwaist edge of the second garment assembly is joined to a back waist edgeof a third garment assembly, forming two front side panels and two backside panels on each garment assembly by bonding a single piece ofmaterial to each side of a chassis front region of two adjoined garmentassemblies and bonding a single piece of material to each side of achassis back region of two adjoined garment assemblies, such that theback side panel material and the front side panel material are eachbonded to and extend from a composite structure, wherein the front andback side panel materials are elastic from a waist end edge to a leg endedge, and the front and back side panel materials have greaterelasticity than the composite structure, and a first material is used toform the front side panels and a second material different from thefirst material is used to form the back side panels; bonding a fasteningcomponent along a distal edge of each of the two front side panels ofeach garment assembly; bonding a mating fastening component along adistal edge of each of the two back side panels of each garmentassembly; separating adjacent garment assemblies from one anothersubsequent to bonding the fastening components and mating fasteningcomponents to each of the adjacent garment assemblies, and therebyseparating adjoining front side panels and adjoining back side panelsfrom one another; folding each garment assembly longitudinally such thatan inner surface of the garment assembly is inside the folded garmentassembly; and folding two of the side panels of each of the garmentassemblies, and aligning each of the fastening components with acorresponding mating fastening component to form two refastenable seamsthat are each refastenable from a waist opening to a leg opening. 15.The method of claim 14 wherein the fastening components are bonded tothe inner surface of the garment assembly and the mating fasteningcomponents are bonded to an outer surface of the garment assembly. 16.The method of claim 14 wherein the fastening components are bonded to anouter surface of the garment assembly and the mating fasteningcomponents are bonded to the inner surface of the garment assembly. 17.The method of claim 14 wherein the two front side panels are folded. 18.The method of claim 14 wherein the two back side panels are folded. 19.The method of claim 14 wherein the fastening component comprises a hookmaterial and the mating fastening component comprises a loop material.20. The method of claim 14 wherein the fastening component comprises aloop material and the mating fastening component comprises a hookmaterial.
 21. The method of claim 14 wherein the fastening componentsaligned with the mating fastening components results in two lap sideseams.
 22. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation of the front andback side panels does not require die cutting.